This is the first piece of erotic fiction I've ever written, and the first piece of fiction of any genre I've written in many years! The vibe I'm aiming for is to shoot right for the intersection of my conceptions of "hot," "sweet," and "romantic." This chapter follows a couple, Kate and Leo, as they embark on their tenuous first steps trying out a soft domination scenario together for the first time as they begin a planned week of gentle sexual domination. The series focus will be on loving exploration of power play, and while the scenarios may increase in intensity as Kate and Leo explore and develop their desires further, everything I write for them will be centered on their love and mutual trust.
As a new author, I am extremely eager for any and all feedback! Positive and negative critiques are extremely welcome, and I'd also love to hear what you'd like to see more of, what you'd like to see less of, and what you do and do not like about the story so far. Again, ALL comments are welcome, be they about content, structure, grammar, vocabulary,, or any other aspect of the story.
Thank you for reading, and I hope you enjoy watching Kate and Leo's journey into new and uncharted waters for their relationship as it unfolds...
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Looking out the passenger window at the passing trees, I shifted in my seat in nervous anticipation. I had been coming to these mountains since I was a little girl. My parents would wake me and my brother up early before sunrise, practically dragging us out of bed, hurrying us through the morning's business of getting dressed, brushing our teeth, and eating breakfast (or grabbing it to eat in the car), before ushering us into the back seat and hopping on the road to beat the morning traffic, whisking us off, away from the doldrums of our daily life in the city, off to whatever hiking or camping trip they had carefully planned. I rolled down the window and took a deep breath through my nose, basking in the passing smells of the damp woods, the trees, and dead leaves, and roadside plants. I had accumulated so many happy memories here: Of traipsing across poorly marked trails as a child while my parents struggled to keep me following markers they could barely find themselves, or racing with my brother to collect firewood while my father muttered muted vulgar incantations at the fire pit, willing the smoldering embers to grow into great towering flames. I had kept coming back to these mountains after I left my parents' house, treading and retreading paths old an new, surmounting peaks and camping by lakes, ponds, rivers and streams, first by myself, and later, increasingly with Leo.
All these happy memories passed up through my nostrils with the mountain air and flooded my brain with warmth and tranquility, and I let out a contented sigh. This really did feel like home to me. After taking my time to bask in the scenery just a little longer, I rolled the window back up, the butterflies in my stomach momentarily stilled, my mind at ease.
But turning back to Leo in the driver's seat, my heart still wouldn't quite be still in my chest. Because this trip wasn't quite like those other trips.
"We're almost there," Leo grinned at me. My heart started to pound even harder, and as quickly as they'd left, the butterflies returned.
Leo and I had been talking on and off about this trip for months, but I still could scarcely believe we were actually doing it.
An erotic getaway.
A chance to try out some of my fantasies with him, things that, despite all the years we'd spent together, we had never given the chance. It sounded crazy.
A week devoted to nothing but each other, nothing other than trying to make our fantasies into reality.
I didn't know if I could do it, if I was ready for it.
My face must have betrayed my anxiety, because Leo's smile disappeared, and he furrowed his brow in a worried look. "Are you excited Kate? If you don't want to go through with this, we can just relax--"
"No, I do," I said, swallowing. "I really, really do. I'm just -- nervous."
The worried look on Leo's face hung there, unconvinced. "Well, just remember, if at any point you want to stop, just say 'red,' and we can stop and talk. OK?"
I smiled at him and nodded. I appreciated him reminding me of our safeword, even though I really didn't need reminding. I had been with Leo long enough that I really felt I knew him, all the ins and outs of how he thought, how he approached life, and conflict, and new situations, and I knew he knew me the same way. I trusted him completely. And I
had
been looking forward to this trip for weeks, probably more than he had. But now that the day was almost here, and our cabin escape was just around the corner -- I wasn't having second thoughts per se, but I was nervous. I loved the idea of Leo dominating me, of relinquishing control totally and following his orders, of leaving my inhibitions behind and just giving in to him fully. But those were all ideas, fantasies in my head. Now that I was on the cusp of having them fulfilled, I couldn't help but wonder, what if I don't like it as much as I thought I would? What if we can't slip into the roles we've laid out for ourselves? What if I'm not good enough? What if Leo's not as up to the task as I'd hoped he'd be? Or worse, what if
he doesn't like it?
Leo, oblivious to the tempest of thoughts churning in my head, met my assent with a smile, and returned his focus to the road ahead. "Good," he nodded. Staring out at the winding dirt path through the trees I watched his grin slowly melt away, his face turning to a serious look of contemplation. We drove like that in silence for a moment, and I was just about to ask if I could put on the radio, when Leo's voice cut in, cold and serious.
"Actually, I don't think that's quite good enough."
For a moment, I was confused by his sudden change of demeanor, and then I realized what he was doing.
He's starting to try on the role before we even get to the cabin.
"I think," he continued, "if you really are looking forward to this week, you should be able to tell me what it is you want
with your words,
not just a simple nod."
I gulped.
This is it, we're crossing the Rubicon,
I thought to myself. Could I do it? Could I really play the submissive part I'd played out in my fantasies over and over again? Even though I was fully clothed, I suddenly felt very naked and exposed. Telling Leo what I wanted had meant baring my most intimate thoughts to him, putting myself on display. And now that we were trying to bring those fantasies into reality, I was opening myself up to the possibility of failure, failure to perform, failure to meet his expectations, to meet my own expectations. What if I wasn't sexy -- what if I was just awkward? I glanced at Leo and saw him watching my reaction out of the corner of his eye, and saw familiar flicker of excitement in his face.
He's looking forward to this just as much as me,
I thought.
He's rooting for me. He loves me, and I love him. I trust him.
"I -- I want you to control me," I tried hesitantly.
"Oh?" Leo replied, raising an eyebrow in mock surprise. "And how would you like me to control you?"
My brain started to fuzz, and I felt my heart rate increase even more. I couldn't believe Leo was really doing this. Looking at his face, I felt like I was seeing a completely different person, not the usual silly, kindhearted Math teacher I'd fallen in love with,
I'd built a life with,
but someone else entirely. He had a dark, unemotional look to his face, and his eyes stayed glued to me, appraising me, waiting for my response.
Wow,